Transformers Animated: Anything but Ordinary
by xXBlack'BladeXx
Summary: My name is Bay, I'm sixteen years old, &, believe it or not, I can control the elements. I don't know why or how, I've just somehow always been able to. But even with superpowers, bein' a teen ain't easy. First movin' to Detroit, & now these giant alien robots showin' up outta nowhere! My life has never been so crazy! *sigh* What do you expect when you're anythin' but ordinary?
1. Prologue

**I unfortunately do not own Transformers Animated. I only own my OC and any other characters you may not recognize.**

* * *

✧**Prologue**

**The**couple was young-somewhere in their late twenties. They sat in two metal fold-up chairs, hand-in-hand, looking around the room. Their eyes traveled from the rainbow colored "magic carpet" to the nearly ceiling tall playhouses-one was an actual house, and the other was a castle-to the many crayon drawings scrawled by the hands of five- to six-year-olds that were taped to the walls. Meeting each others gazes again, they knew they were thinking the same thing: why were they here?

They knew it had something to do with their daughter, but what was the problem? Bay had been nervous on her first day of Kindergarten, yes, but that was expected of any child-especially an only child. Since then, however, she'd been coming home from school, chattering and bubbling about nothing but good things. Things like how Kindergarten was so fun, or this classmate said that or that classmate said this. Not once had she ever mentioned or let on that something was wrong. So what _**was**_ wrong? Was she not learning properly? Did she have some sort of disorder, like ADHD? Was she not getting along with the other kids?

Suddenly the door opened, drawing the young couple's attention. A woman in her early forties, with a long French braid of golden-brown hair, wearing a denim dress, penny loafers, and black rimmed glasses, stepped into the room. Closing the door, she smiled at the couple. " Hello," she greeted with a friendly grin. " I'm Mrs. Byrd, the Kindergarten teacher. You must be the Calectos."

As one, the couple stood. " Uh, hello," the brown-haired, brown-eyed man said, taking the woman's offered hand. " I'm Michael and this is my wife, Amanda."

" Hello," the strawberry-blond-haired, hazel-eyed woman replied, also shaking hands with the teacher. " If you don't mind my asking, Mrs. Byrd, why have we been asked here?"

" Is Bay all right?" Michael questioned worriedly.

Mrs. Byrd only smiled and motioned to the chairs. " Please, take a seat," she said.

The couple exchanged a glance but quickly sank back into their seats. They watched as Mrs. Byrd slowly made her way around to sit in her chair on the business side of the desk. It was all Amanda could do to keep from twiddling her thumbs and Michael to keep from demanding what was going on as they waited for Mrs. Byrd to finish carefully restacking a pile of papers.

Finally, after an eternity, Mrs. Byrd finished her paper-stacking and turned to the couple. " Bay is completely fine," she assured them, receiving an undoubtedly relieved sigh from the husband and wife. " Her only major problem that I see right now is with sharing-but that's to be expected for a child of her age with no siblings; she'll learn. She also seems to display some slight problems with mathematics and phonics, but that should be fixed with some tutoring."

" So, if Bay's fine, why are we here?" questioned Michael.

" I would like for you to tell me everything about Bayfire from the moment you adopted her."

" Oh," both adults said in some confusion.

" Well," Amanda started, " Bay was never really something we thought twice about. You see, when we were told that I could never have children, Michael and I were devastated."

" For the longest time we'd wanted so badly to be parents," her husband explained a bit further. " So, to hear that we couldn't have a baby on our own was like a punch to the gut. But we were determined to become parents. We griped and sulked around and felt sorry for ourselves for about a month, and then we started discussing the concept of adoption."

" It didn't take us long to realize that that was our answer," Amanda cut in. " We got in touch with an adoption agency and let them know we were interested in adopting. We filled out all the paperwork, took all the evaluations, and then we waited. To tell you the truth, we weren't expecting much; the waiting lists for things like this are two years at the least! But then a few weeks later we got the call."

" There had been a family that had been looking to adopt a six-month-old baby, but, at the last minute, the adoption fell through," Michael said, taking Amanda's hand in his own as they both recalled the moment that had drastically changed their lives forever. " The people at the agency asked us if we'd be interested in giving the child a home. Naturally, we said yes."

" The next day, we were taking Bay home," his wife sighed happily, her eyes twinkling. " She's been nothing but an angel since then."

" What's going on here, Mrs. Byrd?" the young man finally inquired again. " What's all this about?"

" Well, it's just recently come to attention that Bay is rather… well, why don't I just let you see for yourselves?" With that, the Kindergarten teacher rose from her seat and made her way across the room to the door that led to the playground outside. Opening it, she stuck her head outside and called, " Bayfire, please come in here."

The Calectos sat in silence, waiting for their six-year-old daughter to come happily skipping through the door. They couldn't have been more mistaken. A second after Mrs. Byrd had called, a huge chunk of the brick wall went soaring across the room and crashing against the wall. Jumping out of their skin, Michael and Amanda stared with bulging eyes at the chunk of brick and then slowly turned back to see their daughter standing in a hole in the wall where the chunk had been.

" Mommy! Daddy!" Bay exclaimed joyously, a mile-wide grin pulling up her lips and he jade green eyes shining. " Look what I can do!" With that she leapt into the room and stomped down onto the floor, feet shoulder-width apart. Clenching her little hands into fists, the child forcefully thrust them up in front of her. A small spire of earth projected through the floor. Then Bay reached towards a vase of flowers and pulled the water out of, not just the vase, but the flowers as well, leaving them dead and black. Whipping around, she sloshed the water across the spire, slicing it into three pieces. All at once, she turned a shoulder to her parents. Punching an open palm out, the Kindergartener sent a powerful gust of wind at her parents, knocking them out of their seats and to the floor. What she did next, however, was the most shocking of all. Running forward, the little girl leapt as high as she could into the air and swiped a leg out in front of her, sending a small jet of flames crackling out into the air. When she came back to the floor, her grin was even wider than before… if that was even possible.

Her parents, as you may have guessed, were looking like they had just seen a ghost. Eyes nearly popping out of their heads and jaws dropped to the floor, they stared from their beaming daughter to Mrs. Byrd, who as unbelievably calm about the whole ordeal.

Mrs. Byrd simply chuckled at the couple's expressions. " _**That's **_what I wanted to talk to you about."


	2. Bayfire

**I unfortunately do not own Transformers Animated. I only own my OC and any other characters you may not recognize.**

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" **Like a true nature's child... we were born, born to be wild. We can climb so high! I never wanna die! Born to be wild! Born to be wild...!" Steppenwolf; **_**Born to be Wild**_

**1**

✧**Bayfire✧ **

**9 Years Later:**

** It **wasa cool January day in Louisiana when our adventure begins. A silver Chrysler sped down a highway, and a cop car—lights and sirens blaring—was riding its bumper. At the moment, the two vehicles were fortunate enough to be the only two cars on the road. The question of how long it would stay like that, though, was another matter entirely.

" Come on, man!" one of the two bank robbers in the Chrysler shouted at his partner in crime. " What're ya doin'?! I thought you could drive!"

" I **_can _**drive!" the man at the wheel spat back, not taking his eyes of the road.

The first one to have spoken was seated in the passenger seat and looked in the rear-view mirror on his side. " The cops on our tail will testify against that," he retorted. Twisting around and practically diving into the backseat, the guy came back out with a semi-automatic. He rolled down the window and leaned out dangerously far, then he began shooting.

Because the driver was so busy focusing on his driving (he'd always been a nervous driver), he hadn't seen his buddy get out the gun. Now, at the sound of shooting, he swerved. " They're shootin'!" he screamed, his voice almost seeming to go up nearly ten octaves. " They're shootin'!"

" Ya moron, they ain't shootin'!" the guy leaning out the window shouted in. " **_I'm_** doin' the shootin'! **NOW KEEP THE CAR STRAIGHT AND STAY ON THE FRICKIN' ROAD!**"

Whimpering, the poor driver turned back to the road. Beneath his ski-mask, he was white as a sheet. " I told ya this was a bad idea, man! We're small-time guys—we ain't big 'nough to be robbin' banks!"

" You shut your trap and do as you're told!" the robber, who definitely must have been the brains of this operation, ordered. Then he took aim and started shooting again. This time he got lucky: he blew out one of the tires. The police car went squealing out of control, spun around, and ended up in the ditch. " Ha, ha!" the shooter bellowed, pumping a victorious fist in the air. " Yeah, baby! Now that's what I'm takin' 'bout!" He slipped back into the car and threw the gun back into the backseat again... **_without_** switching it on safety (the idiot!). Lucky for him, it didn't go off. " We're home free now, Morty!" he laughed, lounging back in the seat with his arms folded behind his head and eyes closed. " See, what'd ol' Chuck tell ya? Ain't nothin' gonna happen to us."

" I guess you're right, Chuck," Morty sighed.

" 'Course I'm right!" Chuck replied. " Now keep your eye on the road."

Back behind them, the two police officers in the car were getting out of their beat up Charger. The older of the two sighed heavily and placed a hand flat against the hood. " And just after we got the last dents pounded outta 'er," he tsked, shaking his graying head of hair. He patted the car's hood.

" Want me to call for back up, Sarge?" the younger cop asked. By the eagerness in his voice, you could tell he was a first year rookie ready-and-raring to go.

" Nah," Sarge answered, looking off down the road after the speeding Chrysler. " Let 'em go."

" But, Sarge," the rookie retorted looking both appalled and put-out, " they're criminals. They robbed a bank!"

" I know, Jaxson," Sarge assured him, still looking after Chrysler. " But we're right on the outskirts of Trent," sudden smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth, " and somethin' tells me that she'll be more than willin' to deal with 'em for us."

" Sarge?"

" Just grab your handcuffs and your walkin' shoes, son. That's all you'll need." Sarge reached down to his belt and slipped out his phone before pressing speed-dial.

* * *

Chuck and Morty were still racing down the road at top speed. The cohorts were so busy being proud of themselves that they didn't even notice the sign and said 'Welcome to Trent'. In fact, they didn't notice much until suddenly they hit a bump in the road.

" Hey, watch where you're goin', Morty," Chuck mumbled. He was already half-asleep in the passenger seat. " You'll wear-out the shocks hittin' potholes like that.

" Right, Chuck," Morty replied, though he hadn't seen any pothole in the road, and he was fairly certain what they'd hit hadn't been a pothole.

They drove along in silence for several minutes. That's when Morty say something very much out of the ordinary and somewhat disturbing. He reached over and tapped Chuck's shoulder. " H-hey, hey, Chuck," he stammered.

" What is it, Morty?" Chuck groaned, still half-asleep.

" There's a kid out in the middle of the road."

" Walkin'?"

" No. Just standin' there."

Chuck opened his eyes and sat up.

Sure enough, there standing out in the middle of the road ahead of them stood a teenaged girl, no older than fifteen. She had dark tan skin, jade green eyes, and long black hair that was done up in a high ponytail. Her attire consisted of a charcoal gray 'Built Ford Tough' t-shirt with a rusty red leather jacket over the top, dark red and black camo cargo pants tucked into black boots about mid-shin high, and fingerless black gloves. She stood with her feet braced shoulder-width apart and was standing erect and tall. Her fists were clenched at her sides and a deadly look was on her face. Her position seemed quite stationary.

Scowling, Chuck said, " Just keep drivin'. She'll get outta the way."

Morty nodded and went a little faster. However, he had a niggling feeling that Chuck was wrong. They'd covered half the distance between them and the girl when the feeling finally because enough for Morty to voice. " Chuck, I don't think she's gonna move," he gulped.

" She will," his partner assured him, still glaring at the girl.

They were closer now.

" Chuck…"

" _**She'll move.**_"

Closer.

" Chuck, she ain't movin'!"

" Then plow her over!"

Suddenly the girl did move, but not in the way the two men had intended. She quickly slid a foot back behind her, crouched down for a split second with her arms tucked in against her chest and then she threw them out; right arm going skyward and left towards the ground, hands open and parallel to them. At the exact same moment, a huge, flat sheet of earth broke away from the ground and shot up, forming a wall.

" What the…?!"

Morty slammed on the brakes and frantically turned the steering wheel to try and stop the speeding car. He managed it, but just barely: the car ended up parallel to wall with no more than a couple yards between the two.

Craning their necks to look out the windows, Morty and Chuck looked up at the wall to see the girl. She was still in the same position she had been, but it's just that she was literally _**on the side of the wall**_! It was like she was glued there or something!

" What's this kid got?!" Chuck exclaimed. " Spider-powers?!"

That's when the teenager did something else unbelievable. She moved her arms around in a quick, fluid, and graceful motion, sweeping them around in front of her and around her head and reaching them up to the sky, weaving them in and out and around in each other. She twisted slightly to the right at the waist, her arms in a position where her left was stretched in front of her to the right with that hand open and reaching, and her right arm the exact same way to the left. Then she whipped around, untwining her arms and punching both hands out towards the car. A wave of air, paper thin and sides sharp as a scalpel, flew towards the vehicle.

A slight _**ching! **_sound was heard. Suddenly half of the car was falling left and half was falling right; it had been spliced lengthwise right down the middle! The two car halves crashed against pavement.

Still standing, the girl skidded down the side of the wall almost as if she were snowboarding. When she reached the bottom. she made a motion with her hands and the earth wall sank back into the ground, leaving the landscape looking like it hadn't been disturbed. Then the teen marched towards the vehicle and stood in between the two halves. She reached down, grabbed both of the guys by the front of their shirts, ripped them out of their confines and hoisted them up in front of her, holding them high enough to that their feet dangled a couple inches above the ground. She smirked wolfishly at them. " Boys," she said, " didn't your mamas ever teach ya that crime don't pay?"

* * *

A few minutes later, Sarge and Jaxson came upon the sight of the robber's... uh... apprehension. Jaxson's mouth dropped open and his eyes bugged wide open at the sight. " What on God's green earth happened here?" he breathed.

Sarge just chuckled as he continued to walk straight towards the mumbling and grumbling criminals who were encased up to their shoulders in spires of earth. " That would be Bayfire Calecto," he answered over his shoulder.

" Who?" Jaxson asked.

" Don't worry, son," Sarge replied. " One of these days you'll meet her." The senior policeman ripped a note off a spike of earth that was between the robbers. As he read it a grin creased his face.

* * *

_Sarge,_

_ Thanks for giving Officer Slim that tip. Beating around these guys made my day! Just remember, I'm always here whenever you need me to thrash a few more hoodlums for you._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Bay_

_P.S. You might need to use a jackhammer to get them out of their... prisons. :)_

* * *

Sarge couldn't help but chuckle. That Bay was certainly something else.

* * *

**[A/N most of these people, except Bay's parents, in these first few chapters have southern accents and Bay kinda has one too, but I suck at accents (I found that out the hard way with Bombardier '-_-) so I won't write in them. Not even Blitzwing—but you should already know what he sounds like.]**


	3. Leaving

**I unfortunately do not own Transformers Animated. I only own my OC and any other characters you may not recognize.**

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" **Here comes good-bye. Here comes the last time. Here comes the start of every sleepless night, the first of every tear I'm gonna cry. Here comes the pain. Here comes me wishin' things had never changed and she was right here in my arms tonight. Here comes… good-bye…" Rascal Flatts; **_**Here Comes Good-bye**_

**2**

✧**Leaving✧**

** " What** do you mean we're movin'?!"

The screech drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant. All eyes turned to the back booth. There was a teenage girl, in red and black fatigues, boots, and a rusty red jacket, standing beside the booth, her body in a stance that suggested she was either shocked or angry. The restaurant goers who knew the girl had their money on the latter.

Michael Calecto rubbed his eyes and cursed under his breath. He should've known this would happen. With as hot-tempered as his daughter was, he should've known better than to make the announcement of their relocation at a public setting. Somehow his wife and he had fallen under the deranged impression that if they took their family out for a nice dinner at the local Applebee's and made sure that Bay got her favorite meal—Bourbon Street Steak, medium rare, with grilled potatoes, mushrooms, and onions **[A/N I've had this before. Let me tell you—A-MA-ZING!]**—she'd be happier and easier to deal with. What the heck had they been thinking?

Amanda, who was thinking very much along the same lines as her husband, gave her daughter a harsh warning glare. " Bayfire Elektra Calecto," she pronounced the girl's full name to let her know that she meant business, " sit your butt down this instant and calm down!"

" No!" Bay retorted, her yell growing even louder. " I_** won't **_sit down, and I won't calm down!" The girl was just as dumb-founded as she was angry. How in the world could her life be turned so upside-down? Just a few hours ago, she was apprehending bank robbers. Now, she was in Trent's local Applebee's, being informed that they were leaving the town that she'd lived in since she was seven! " I wanna know why we're movin'!"

Meanwhile, Marshall, Bay's ten-year-old brother** [A/N Michael and Amanda adopted Marshall as a baby when Bay was five]**, was glancing around the restaurant in embarrassment of his sister's outburst. He sank down in the bench. " Dad," he murmured softly in humiliation, "everyone's starin'. Make her shut up."

Amanda then turned her harsh gaze on her son. " Marshall," she reprimanded, " we do not tell anyone in this family to 'shut up'."

" Okay, make her zip it then," the boy replied with just as much conviction.

Bay kept right on the situation at hand, not the littlest bit distracted. " What's wrong with Trent?" she demanded. " All our friends are here and everyone we love is here."

" We know that, Bay," her father tried to reassure her.

" And what about school?"

" We won't be moving till the summer," Amanda informed her, tone still hard. " You and Marshall will finish out the school year here, and then next year you'll be enrolled in your new schools."

" 'Schools'?" Marshall snagged the word, sitting up suddenly. " As in 'more than one'?"

" Yes," Michael sighed.

" Aww," his son groaned in sincere disappointment. " I won't be able to embarrass Bay as I walk through the hallways now."

At that his big sister couldn't help but smirk and snort as she looked at him with her arms crossed smugly over her chest. " Now that's the only good thing to come outta this." Then her sneer faded and she turned back to her father. Her hands went to her hips. " You still ain't said why we're movin'," she stated, the darkness creeping back into her tone.

Michael groaned. " Maybe I would have," he began, trying to keep his voice calm, because he knew that yelling at the girl would only make her even more angry, " if you had let me finish what I was saying before you exploded into your tantrum." He met her eyes with his own.

The stubborn expression that was set on Bay's face never faltered for even a second under her father's gaze, but she got the message: enough was enough. Slowly, still looking angry, she sank back down into the booth. Once she was slouched in the bench seat, she crossed her arms over her chest once more and continued to glare at her father. " Go on then," she urged him.

Releasing a long-suffering sigh, her father nodded his thanks and then went on to explain. " You all know how successful I've been with my job at Sumdac Systems," he said, taking all of his family into his gaze. Once they'd all nodded in the affirmative, he continued. " Well, it appears that Professor Sumdac himself has noticed it too, because he's promoted me."

" To what?" Marshall asked.

" Well, let's just say that now I'm somewhat of his second in command you might say," the brown haired man replied.

" Okay," Bay broke in. " So you got promoted to be his right-hand-man, so what? What's that gotta do with us movin'?"  
" I was getting to that," Michael answered, giving his daughter another warning glare. " Professor Sumdac wants me working by his side, helping run things and overseeing projects that he doesn't really have time for. That means that he wants me at the main plant: Sumdac Tower in Detroit."

At that point, Bay, who had been taking a drink of her water, choked on her drink and spat it out. " What?!" she coughed.

" Hey!" Marshall bellowed at the same time. He turned on his sister and gave her a death-glare. " Bay!"

The teen glared right back at her kid brother. " Oh, suck it up, shrimp-boat," she snarled. " Take it as payment for all those wet-willies you've given me over the years." Regardless, Bay bent the liquid off of him (making her mother look around at the other restaurant goers uncomfortably [she'd never really accepted the fact that her daughter could control the elements]) and back into her glass, leaving him no worse for wear. Then she turned back to her dad and shrieked, " **DETROIT?!** As in 'Michigan?! Are you friggin' serious right now?!"

" Bayfire, watch your tone," Amanda warned her.

Bay didn't hear her. " What, the guy can't just have you look after things down here?"

" He wants me on bigger projects, Bay—the main ones. Those are all done at Sumdac Tower."

" Well use it via Skype or somethin'! Dad, I don't wanna go to Detroit. You know how I hate the cities with all the smog and the noise and the people... Daddy, please, not Detroit."

Michael gave her a sympathetic look. " I'm sorry, baby," he apologized, genuinely sorrowful, because he did know just how uncomfortable Bay got in the city, " but it's outta my hands."

" Well, just quit your job then."

" Bay!" Amanda gasped, shocked her daughter would even mention such a thing. " How can you say that? You know how much your dad love's working for Sumdac Systems."

" Besides, sweetie," Michael added, " I'm not just doing it for me, I'm doing it for you and your brother. We need money to feed you, clothe you, put you both through school. And then there'll be college for you in a few years and then Marshall after that." He met her jade green eyes and looked deep into them. " We're not rich, Bay."

Feeling ashamed of what she said, Bay lowered her eyes to look at the tabletop. " I know, Dad," she murmured softly.

Michael nodded at her. " All right then."

The family was quiet for several minutes before finally Bay looked up again. " I'm just tellin' ya'll this right now," she warned them. " I'm makin' a vow right here and now that I'm not leavin' Trent, and nobody can make me."

* * *

**Five Months Later:**

" _So much for vows_," Bay thought as she sat in the backseat of the Calecto's teal Pontiac Grand Am. She was slouched down in the seat and, like a cranky hermit crab, was peaking up over the door panel and out the window, glaring at the moving men who were just finishing up loading the rest of the furniture into the moving van. Her deadly jade green eyes then went to her family. They were all carrying the last of the boxes out of the house.

Even Marshall was pulling his weight, the little kiss-up. He'd actually been excited for the move and had gone so far as to even post it as his Facebook profile for the past five months. How the heck could he be so excited to move away from the only home he'd ever known to a big, over-crowded, stinking city like Detroit? There was something seriously wrong with this kid; Bay grew more and more sure of it everyday.

Bay kept watching as her mother, father, and brother loaded up the boxes into the back of the moving van. The teen would've been out there helping load up too if it weren't for the fact that she'd been temporarily grounded to the confines of the vehicle. Why? Well let's just say that it had something to do with a pair of handcuffs (don't ask how she got 'em) with no key, a pipe to the bathroom sink, and her father having to go get a pair of wire-cutters before dragging her out of the house, kicking and screaming, and giving her a long, stern lecture on just how immature her behavior had been **[A/N the moving men were the ones who found her handcuffed to the bathroom sink]**. Now all she could do was sit and watch as everybody else loaded crap up, not that she really cared. She didn't want to help them anyway.

The fifteen-year-old continued to watch as the moving men closed the doors to their van and padlocked it before turning to her parents to shake their hands. And suddenly Bay's anger melted away and was replaced with fear and sorrow. That was it then. They were really moving out, and nothing could stop it. The girl continued to watch, and was so absorbed in the shock of the ordeal that she barely even registered that her brother had entered the vehicle.

" Ready to go, sis?" the young boy chirped happily as he buckled himself into the backseat behind the driver's seat.

Bay didn't answer; she hadn't even hear him. She just kept on watching as her parents thanked the moving men one last time, gave them last minute instructions, and came striding towards the car and getting into the front.

Michael took the driver's seat and Amanda the passenger's. Once the blond-haired woman was buckled in, she turned around and looked at her kids with a grin. " You guys ready to move to Detroit?"

" Yeah!" Marshall laughed, pumping his fists in the air.

Bay didn't answer. She was looking out the window.

Both the truck and the car started up and pulled out from the driveway onto the road—the car following behind the van.

Marshall was practically ecstatic. The chestnut-haired, hazel-eyed boy was nearly vibrating in his seat with all the enthusiasm that was boiling up within him. He'd never been out of the state before and now he was going all the way to Michigan! He couldn't wait to see Detroit! It was the only thing the ten-year-old had been able to dream about for the past five months. Ever since his parents had announced the move he'd read and watched everything on Detroit that he could. He knew there were a bunch of hot cars there and robots that did everything for the humans. The boy silently wondered if he could get a robot to his chores for him. " Oh, man, this is gonna be great!" Marshall whooped. He turned to his sister in excitement. " Huh, Bay? Is this gonna be great or what?"

" Yeah," Bay mumbled, barely audible as she craned her neck around to look out the back window at their old house with a for sale sign out in the front yard that had said 'Sold' on it for the past two weeks. " Great." The teen continued to watch as the only place that had ever truly felt like home began to disappear in the distance. A single tear trickled down her cheek. This was it. There was nothing she could do now but to go along with her family and deal with it. There was no turning back now. " Just great..."


	4. A Strange, New World

**Alice Gone Madd—Thank you for being the first and only person to review. :)**

** I unfortunately do not own Transformers Animated. I only own my OC and any other characters you may not recognize.**

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" I just wanna scream and lose control. Throw my hands up and let it go! Forget about everything and run away! Yeah! I just wanna fall and lose myself. Laughin' so hard it hurts like hell! Forget about everything and run away! Yeah...!" Avril Lavigne; _Runaway_

3

✧A Strange, New World✧

Four Months Later:

"** _Bree!_**_Bree! Bree! Bree! Bree!_" the obnoxious noise roused Bay out of her dreams. Groaning, the fifteen-year-old reached up to her bedside table to try and hit the snooze on her alarm clock. She found the button and pressed it. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing. She tired once more. The cursed thing just wouldn't shut up! Growling, the girl curled her hand into a fist and slammed it down atop the device. " Shut up."

**_CRACK!_**

" Serves ya right." With that, Bay rolled over, back towards the broken alarm clock. Sighing, she began to drift off again. The teen was just about ready to fall asleep when suddenly—**_knock, knock, knock_**. " Oh..." Bay moaned and rolled over onto her stomach.

" Bay?" her mother's lilting voice came through the door. " Bay, honey, time to get up."

" Mmm!" her daughter moaned indignantly.

" Bayfire, come on."

" Five more minutes."

" No, not five more minutes—now!"

Bay groaned again.

" Now come on," Amanda repeated. " Up and at 'em. I want you ready and down at the table in fifteen." Receding footsteps signaled her departure.

" Uh-rah!" Bay growled and rolled over onto her back, flinging her soft, fluffy pillow at the door as she did. Then she lay there, staring up at the whiteness of her ceiling. It had been four months since they'd moved in, and yet this room still wasn't her room—this house still wasn't her home. The fifteen-year-old was suddenly depressed. She was so lonely. So... homesick. She missed her old school, her friends, and, most of all, she missed her bending. Not once since they moved here had she been allowed to control the smallest fraction of a single element—her mother's rule.

" I don't want the neighbors freaking out, thinking there's something that matter with you," Amanda had said.

But that just the thing: there wasn't anything wrong with Bay—at least not from her point of view. She'd always been able to control the elements; that was just who she was. So she was a little different than everyone else in the world, what was wrong with that? She liked being different—always had. Just as quickly as her blue mood had come, it went, and the teen was left with annoyance to fill the space. The girl scowled. " Fifteen?' she repeated her mother's time limit. " Puh-lease! I can be ready and down in five."

* * *

Bay looked out the car window at the large, three-story brick building. She watched as kids around her age hurried past the Grand Am towards the building, more than likely trying to make it inside and finish up last minute homework before the first school bell rang. A huge knot of apprehension constricted her gut. Never in her life had she been so nervous for school. It was true that she'd never been fond of school—she was a typical teenager—but never once had she been nervous for it, and she didn't like the feeling. The fifteen-year-old was just happy that her brother wasn't here (they'd dropped him off at his school first). If Marshall had been in the car, he would've been teasing her mercilessly and/or rolling down the window, shouting at the people that were walking by and embarrassing her. So there was a silver lining here. Bay suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to meet the warm, loving eyes of her father.

" Better head in, sweetie," he advised her gently, knowing that she was nervous. " You wouldn't wanna be late on your first day."

Bay looked from him back to the school and then back to him again. " Daddy," she said her voice and eyes pleading, " please, I don't want to. Can't I be home-schooled or somethin' now? After all, Mom used to be a teacher. And I've only got three more years of high school anyway. I could just graduate from home."

Michael gave his daughter a skeptical look. " Really?" he replied, his voice sardonic. " Tell me, Bay—can you honestly see yourself trapped in the same room with your mother for nearly eight hours a day, five days a week, every week, for the next three years? As it is, you two can barely be in the same room for two hours without irkin' each other, and that's **_without _**your mom trying to teach you something. You throw in mathematics or English or something like that into the equation and you're just askin' for a steal-cage death match."

" I'll reign myself in," Bay offered, using her best wheeling-and-dealing skills. " I promise."  
" Sweetie, as short-fused as you are, it's not you I'm worried about," Michael half-sighed, half-chuckled. " It's your mom. She has as bad of a temper as you do—worse actually—and she hasn't had to learn to control it like you have. After all, she doesn't exactly have to worry about accidentally torching the house every time she gets angry like you do."

" That was**_ one time_**!" Bay interjected quickly, blushing with embarrassment as she thought back to that one time when she'd first found out about her powers. Marshall had been sick during the time and had been getting every last bit of attention—at least in Bay's eyes, he had been. So she'd thrown a tantrum in order to get attention. She'd gotten her parents attention, all right... as well as the attention of the rest of the neighborhood **_and_** the local fire-department. Such was the story of why they'd moved to Trent, Louisiana in the first place. Also such was the story of her first and definitely **_last_** tantrum.

" Regardless," her father soothed, " home-schooling you is not a good idea."

Bay huffed and slumped, hanging her head in defeat. She knew her father was right, and that's what was so vexing about the situation. " Fine..." she mumbled.

Michael nodded. " Now," he said, nodding towards the school, " I suggest you get out of this car and high-tail it in there."  
Once more Bay looked out at the building in apprehension before turning back to her father. " D'ya really think I can do this, Dad?"

Michael gave her an adoring smile. " I have no doubt," he assured her. " This is just another step in your life, sweetie, and I know that you can take it stride like you have everything else. You just gotta have the strength and courage to meet it head on, and I know you've got that too."

" How do ya know?"

It was then that her father leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead above her left eyebrow. When he pulled away, he placed his large warm hand atop her mop of ebony hair and used the pad of his thumb to rub the kiss in. He looked deep into her jade green eyes. " Because you're a Calecto. You're my daughter. And you are exceedingly special and unique." He smiled at her. " You're a force of nature, Bay, and a magnificent one at that."

Bay returned her father's loving smile with a small one of her own. Somehow her dad always had a way of saying just the right thing at just the right time. And only he could seem to do it. As many times as Bay had tried to replicate the talent, she had just never quite been able to get it right. Scooting forward, the fifteen-year-old wrapped her arms around Michael's neck in a tight embrace. " I love you, Daddy," she murmured, snuggling against him.

Michael wrapped his arms around his daughter and pulled her close to him, enjoying her warmth and love. " I love you too, sweetheart," he whispered, kissing her hair. He held her a moment longer before finally patting her back and pulling away. " You better go now," he said, nodding once more to the school. " I'll see you when I get home tonight."

Bay nodded in return and opened the door before slipping out of the car. She watched as her father pulled out of the parking space and drove off down the street in the direction of his work place. The girl waved until he was out of sight, then she turned to face the monstrous brick building. Looking up at it, she gulped. It. Was. Absolutely. **HUGE! **How did they expect her to find anything in there? She'd get lost! Taking a deep breath, the teenager pulled her nerves together and began to march up the pavement towards the front doors. " Here's to meeting it head on."

* * *

Bay walked through the overly crowded halls of the school. Actually "walk" is a somewhat relative term; it was more like she was getting pushed and shoved around the hall like a rag doll. How the heck could a school function with this many kids? The girl had found out that in her class alone there were over 150 kids! **_One hundred and fifty! _**Granted they had them broken down into three classes with fifty kids in each class, but still! Bay was used to have from ten to twenty in one class—sometimes thirty; but never 150! How did the teachers even know the kids' names? How did the kids even know their classmates' names?

Looking down at the map of the school in her hand, Bay tried to figure out where she had to go. She'd already figured out she had geometry with Mr. Sullivan in room 13C for her first period class (she carried a class schedule with her as well [the paper also had her locker number and combination on it]), now it was just a matter of how to find the room. Still staring intently at the map, Bay managed to make her way out of the main flow of people over to the wall where, maybe, she'd be able to focus and find her destination without having to worry about being tripped or shoved down or anything like that. The fifteen-year-old squinted at the paper, bending all her thought on it as if that would get it to give up the clue as to where the room was. This map wasn't very helpful at all. Holding it up to the light, Bay continued to study it. After several more fruitless minutes of studying the map, the girl growled, crumpled up the paper, tossed it on the floor, and ground it with her heel. Screw the map—she'd ask for help.

Looking out into the sea of faces, Bay went in search of her aid. " Hey, excuse me!" she called with a wave of her hand, trying to draw someone's attention. " Excuse me, but can anyone tell me the way to room 13C is?"

No answers.

Growling, Bay put her hands on her hips and scowled at the crowd. Fine! If no one was going to volunteer, she'd just have to recruit. That's when the teen saw a group of girls coming her way. She also saw that they were—unfortunately—that they were the snooty, 'I'm-better-than-you' type. But beggars can't be choosers, so, sucking in a deep breath and making a mental note to mind her manners, Bay stepped out in front of them. " Hi!" she chirped cheerfully with her best and friendliest grin plastered to her face.

The girls all stopped their chattering and giggling at took her into their sights. Their eyes ran judgmentally over her, taking in her clothes, hair-do, and features. They didn't look very impressed. " Like, hi," the girl who must have been the leader of this clique, judging from her position directly in the center of the group and her fancy, bedazzled clothes, greeted back nonchalantly.

" _Oh great_," Bay said to herself. " _Valley-girls. Just my luck._" That accent never failed to drive her up the wall. But, at the moment, Bay chose to take the high-road. " I'm Bay," she introduced herself, holding her hand out in offering.

The girl looked back and forth between the offered hand and Bay's face several times before slowly, hesitantly, reaching out and shaking her hand—only holding it by the very tips of her fingers. After one quick pump, she hastily released Bay's hand and held her own hand out to one of the girls beside her. " Sanitize me," she ordered, her face scrunched up is disgust.

Bay tried not to be offended.

The second girl squeezed hand-sanitizer into her leader's palm, and the first girl vigorously rubbed her hands together. Once she was done with that, she held out her other hand to another girl. " Wet wipe," she commanded.

Bay watched in fascination as the requested item was handed over.

Once she'd finished cleansing her hands, the leader girl handed the used wet wipe back to the girl who'd handed it to her for disposal. Then she turned back to Bay. " Like, hi," she coolly repeated. " I'm Christina." She motioned to the girl who'd handed her the hand-sanitizer. " This is Allison," she pointed to the girl with the wet wipes, " Lily," she pointed to another girl, " Wynonna," another girl " Sapphire," the last girl, " and Gigi."

" Nice to meet y'all" Bay replied politely with a nod. " Look, I'm new here, and I was just wonderin' if you guys could by chance point me in the direction of my first class? It's room 13C."

The group didn't seem to hear her. They were too busy looking her up and down in examination and whispering things to each other that they would snicker at. Bay got the unnerving feeling that they were all directed at her.

Finally, after one last giggle, Christina spoke up. " Uh, hey thar, girl," she drawled, very much over-exaggerating Bay's slight southern accent. " Whar you from?"

The other girl's all started to laugh.

Bay stomach lurched and she felt her temper begin to rise, but she bit her lip, refusing to give in. " I'm..." she answered, clearing her throat, conscious about her accent for the first time in her life, "... I'm from Louisiana."

" Really?" Gigi laughed, also drawling her voice. " 'Cuz ya cain't tell 't'all."

Bay's face got a little hot. " Look, can ya just tell me where to go?" she asked, irritability edging into her voice.

The group was still too busy laughing and making fun of her voice to hear her. " Lahke," Wynonna took her turn at it, " mayb-ay she's one a them thar southern rednecks!"

Complexion beet red by now, Bay turned away and stomped off. " Nevermind," she said, more to herself than anyone else. " I'll find it myself." The sound of their laughter followed her all the way down the hall, stabbing her in the back as she went.

* * *

Bay watched in horror as the lunch lady sploshed a shapeless lump of the so-called 'Mystery-Meat Surprise' on her lunch tray. The girl stared at the jiggling, pinkish substance for a moment before looking back up at the woman. " Thank you," she forced out through clenched teeth as she tried to grin.

The lunch lady—who was somewhere in her sixties—only scowled at the teen and waved her on with a big metal spoon. " Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said gruffly. " Move it along, missy."

Bay quickly hurried away, not wanting to deal with the woman any further, and began searching for a place to sit down. She found a spot at an empty table far away from the main group of kids and flopped into the seat with a groan. Nothing had been going her way today. That little encounter with the popular girls had pretty much set the rest of her day up to be a living hell. First of all, thanks to them, she'd wandered around some more trying to find her first period class. Eventually she had found it, but had been nearly ten minutes late, earning her a very firm reprimand and lecture from the teacher about getting to class on time and not interrupting class time again before being allowed to sit down. For the rest of that period, she'd sat at the back of the room, getting pelted by spitballs.

Second, third, and fourth periods had been the much the same. She'd been several minutes late to all of them—though not quite as late as the first time—received lectures for her tardiness (though she was lucky in only getting warnings and not detention), and had gotten hit with more spitballs. Fifth period had added her cellphone—which she was sure she'd turned on silent—going off and getting tripped as she walked it up to the teacher's desk to the equation. The good news was that she got to leave class after that. The bad news was because it was due to a bloody nose that she'd gotten from hitting her head on a desk after being tripped. So she'd spent the rest of the period in the nurse's office. For the record, big Russian woman with man-hands, uni-brows, hairy moles on their chin, and arms the size of large ham-hocks who insisted upon shouting "**I FIX BOOBOO NOW!**" while they held your head in their hands, made terrifying nurses.

Now it was lunch, and, from the look of the menu, it didn't appear that it would be any better. Bay released a deep breath. " Only three more periods, Bay," she whispered to herself. " Only three more." Then she picked up her spoon, dug it into the Mystery-Meat Surprise, and shoveled up a helping of it. For a moment she sat there, looking at the substance as it wiggled on her spoon. " Hmm," the girl hummed. " I wonder what the surprise is." She bravely inserted the matter into her mouth. Her eyes popped and her taste buds immediately recoiled. " Blech!" Bay spat the stuff back out onto her tray. " Oh, gross! Blech!" Standing up, the teen rushed towards the nearest water fountain and began to rinse her mouth out. That's when she heard a chorus or painfully familiar laughter behind her. Bay slowly turned to see the popular group standing there, sneering at her.

" Oh, girls, look who it is!" Christina exclaimed to her friends. " It's 'Bray'!"

Bay prickled at the purposeful mispronunciation of her name. " My name is 'Bay'," she growled, fighting the urge to curl her hands into fists.

The girls laughed harder. " Like, not with that, like donkey bray for a voice, it's not!" Lily howled.

By now Bay's face was as red as the dark patches of red on her fatigues. Her eye was twitching, and the veins in her neck and forehead were prominent. Smoke almost to spew out her nose and ears. " That. Is. **IT!**" she bellowed. Raising her right leg up high—almost parallel to her body—the sophomore brought her foot back down with a mighty **_stomp!_** into the floor. Several pillars of earth shot up through the floor, knocking over tables and chairs.

All of the lunchrooms inhabitants screamed in terror, some even leaving the room.

Then Bay reached a hand out toward the water fountain. The device rumbled for a moment before exploding off as the water in the pipes behind it was pulled out. Bay pulled the water towards her and formed it into a spinning circle around her. She crouched down and kept spinning it, faster and faster and faster, until suddenly she kicked a foot out in the direction of the popular girls, a sent a jet of water and air corkscrewing around it towards them.

The wave hit them and slammed them back into a wall. They came up a sputtering, gasping, make-up ruined mess. " Wh-wh-what are you?!" they all screamed in horror.

" Sick a your crap, that's what!" Bay hollered, pointing rigidly at them. " First you make fun of my accent, and now you're makin' fun of my voice and my name! My day's been hell already, and it all started with your girls! Well, I ain't dealin' with it anymore! It's time someone put you in your place." And with that, Bay turned on the rest of the terrified faces in the lunchroom. " Anybody else got a problem with that?" she demanded, bending out a whip of flames over their heads as she did.

Everyone screamed and ducked for over.

Bay nodded, satisfied. " Yeah, that's what I figured."

" Ms. Calecto!"

Bay turned towards the teachers' table at the sound of her name.

Mr. Sullivan was standing there, looking both enraged and scared at the same time. He pointed out the doors and down the hallway. " Principal's office," he ordered. " Now!"

The desire to protest was so strong that it burned in her throat, but Bay managed to hold her tongue and keep from getting in more trouble. She stood there fuming for a minute more before finally releasing the breath she'd been holding. " Fine!" she shouted. With that, she turned on her heel and headed out the doors, sinking the earth spires back into the floor as she did.

Everyone screamed again and watched on as the crazy girl who could control the elements exited the room.

* * *

Bay slouched low in the very back seat of the school bus, trying to ignore the stares and glares that were being sent her way. After her little break down at lunch that afternoon, she'd spent the rest of the day in school suspension. She'd gotten another lecture from the principal on her behavior, as well as a warning on never to use her abilities on school grounds again.

" If I catch you using them again," he'd said, " or if anybody else has credible evidence that you've been using them as school again, I'll expel you."

Bay silently wished that she could be expelled. She hated that school. But if it did come to that, she could only imagine the rain of fire and brimstone that would fall down from her parents, she she decided to take the principal's advice and not bend at school anymore... despite how much she hated the repression. At the rate things were going, she would never be able to use her powers again. That thought nearly broke Bay's heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to flow, but she just managed to bite them back.

Suddenly the bus stopped, signaling it was time for her to get off.

Grabbing her backpack, Bay jumped up and hurried up the aisle of seats to be the first one off. She ignored the protests and curses she received as she blindly pushed other kids aside, not caring who they were, just wanting to get off and away from this nightmare as quickly as possible. The minute was she on the pavement she was running. Her legs went faster and faster, carrying her away from the bus stop and towards home. She continued to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill, but they were almost beyond her control now. The sophomore went faster, not wanting anyone to see her cry.

Finally she reached her house. Bounding up the steps, Bay pushed open the front door, slammed it shut, ran past the living room where her mother and her brother—already home from school—were working on homework together—ignoring them as they both called out to her—bounded up the stairs—taking almost three at a time—threw her bag into her room as she rushed by it, ran into the bathroom, slammed the door, locked it, and turned the water on in the shower—both valves—full blast. Then she sunk to the floor. Pulling her legs up to her chest and holding her forehead in her hand—tangling her fingers in her unruly side bangs—the girl allowed her tears to flow freely for the first time. " I hate this place!" the yell escaped her before she could stop it. " I hate this place! I hate these people! I hate my school! I just wanna go home!" She broke into a fit of raging sobs. " I'm a freak," she whispered. " I'm a freak." Then, for the first time in her life, Bay caught herself saying something she never thought she'd ever say for as long as she lived. " I wish I were normal." The fifteen-year-old rolled up a washcloth and held it between her teeth to further help muffle her sobs.


	5. Shrouded Identity

** Sorry for the long wait for an update, guys. The past few weeks I've been either updating other stories that needed to be updated, doing school work, and getting ready for our high school musical. We did that two nights in a row and the first night was basically a disaster, but the second night we totally ROCKED IT if I do say do myself. So what can I say? Life likes to get in the way. ^^;**

** Anyway, this is a longer chapter, and kinda depressing, but things will pick up in the next one, I promise. :) And I know I told some of you that Bay would meet Prof. Sumdac in this chapter, and I didn't lie. That was the intention, but I eventually decided that it would work better for the next chapter.**

** Alice Gone Madd—I hate snotty girls too. And yes, we did make fun of them. XD**

** Transformersgirl4538—Like I said, Bay will meet the 'bots in the next chapter. It'll probably be near the end, but then after that it'll be basically 'bot central. :D**

** xXLollipopGalXx—Here's the chapter that you were looking forward to. Lol**

** Live-Laugh-Sing—Just like I told Transformersgirl4538, it'll be near the end of the next chapter. Please be patient. You won't regret it, I assure you. :)**

** Okay, now... *unsheathes sword and goes into a dramatic pose* ON WITH THE STORY! *runs off dramatically* **

** I unfortunately do not own Transformers Animated. I only own my OC and any other characters you may not recognize.**

* * *

" Who is that girl I see… staring straight… back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Somehow I cannot hide… who I am… though I've tried. When will my reflection show… who I am… inside…?" Mulan; _Reflection_

4

✧Shrouded Identity✧

One Year Later:

Sixteen-year-old Bayfire Calecto sat at a lunch table skirting the main cafeteria… alone… as usual. Absentmindedly, she ate at her lunch (a sack lunch—she'd vowed never to eat the school's food again after that fateful first day) and stared blankly at an empty spot on the table. The junior didn't dare lift her eyes; that would only draw attention—attention that was very much unwanted. Ever since that dreaded first day her sophomore year, Bay had tried as hard as she could to stay under the radar. It didn't necessarily work. Christina and her gang always managed to smell her out at least once a day to make her life absolutely miserable, which, considering how things were going in Bay's life, wasn't very hard to do.

Not only was the teenager homesick for Trent all the time, she was friendless and forbidden to use her powers (she hadn't used them once since her first day). Then there was the fact that she and her mother were at each others throats 24/7. They constantly fought and argued, even over the littlest and most trivial of things; their last fight had been over how Bay stacked the dishwasher. The poor girl just felt like she couldn't do anything right anymore. She was moody and angry and cross and she hardly ever laughed or smiled like she used to. She was constantly looked in her room and didn't want much of anything to do with anybody. In short, ever since the move Bay had quickly become quiet, depressed, and downhearted: three things that she most certainly was not.

Michael tried hard to get his daughter to come out of her shell, but whatever little progress he made (if he could make any) was always quickly demolished one way or another. Bay didn't tell him how she stayed awake at night, listening to both him and her mother bicker and argue about what was right for her. They both had their own ideas. In all honesty, Bay wasn't really sure that anything would be able to help. Unless, of course, they moved back to Trent, but that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Here her father was making twice the money he had and he was enjoying his work so much, that the sixteen-year-old just didn't have the heart to even consider such an idea. If she couldn't be happy with her life here, at least her dad could. And her mother. And her brother. Basically everyone in her family loved their new lives here except her. She hated Detroit.

Bay was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts as she felt a presence close to her. The presence practically slammed a tray down next to her and flopped down onto the bench beside her. The girl peeked out of the corner of her eye to see who it was. She quietly groaned. " _Parker Drakes_," she thought, rolling her eyes. " _Fan-flippin'-tastic_."

Parker Drakes was the school's number one jock, and he had the attitude to prove it. Having been captain of the football, basketball, and track team since his freshman year, Parker was cocky, arrogant, and entitled. Stir that all together with all of the free-ride scholarships he'd been offered already and all the awards he'd won, and you had the most annoying, jugheaded senior with the biggest ego problem this side of the galaxy. And unfortunately for Bay, that ego problem had—most unpredictably—parked itself right beside her.

" Hey, doll-face," Parker greeted her with a flirty smile and a wink.

Bay hardly paid attention; in fact she didn't even look up. " Hey," she returned emotionlessly.

" This seat taken?" Parker asked, not noticing the bland dryness in her voice.

Bay made a 'tsking' sound with her tongue and shook her head. " Is now," she replied. " Unfortunately," she added under her breath as she took a drink from her bottle of apple juice.

" Great!" the boy exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy about the news. Then he did something really unexpected. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and scooted a bit closer—a bit too close for Bay's liking. " So, uh, what's your name, sweetheart?" he questioned, his tone something within the realms of what other girls might consider "sexy", but, to Bay, it made him sound like he was high.

" Bay," the girl answered, still not looking up, but ever alert and conscious of where his hands would travel. She didn't like this guy.

" Cute name," Parker replied, still using that voice. " So where you from, Bay? I don't remember seeing you around these parts."

It was then that Bay slowly set her juice down, a little annoyed at the comment. A corner of her mouth twisted and she set her lips in a firm line and bit her tongue to keep from snapping something nasty. Okay, so she tried to stay under the radar here, but was she seriously that invisible? " I'm from Louisiana," she responded, turning an annoyed look on him, " but I've been goin' to this school since last year."

Parker's face twisted in confusion. " Oh… really? I haven't seen you around."

" We're in the _**same science class**_, and we sit _**right beside each other **_in home room."

The senior looked even more confused. " Really?" he asked, his voice getting higher at the end. " Huh." Then the bafflement left his face and a superior, smug one took its place. " You know who _**I**_ am don't ya?"

Rolling her jade green eyes, Bay turned back to her lunch. " Sorry to say I do," she remarked. She picked up her apple juice and took another swig. How could she _**not**_ have known who he was? His name and face were plastered and announced over the entire school. It was like this place revolved around him!

Parker laughed. " Ha! I knew you would've." Without warning, he suddenly tightened his grip around the girl and pulled her flush against his side, his hip pressed against her and his cheek on hers. " Listen, Bay," he purred, " what's say tonight, you and me go out? Maybe to Burger Bot for a burger, and then a movie, and then maybe," he leaned in even closer (if that's possible) and whispered into her ear, " afterwards we'll, uh, we'll take a little drive up to lover's lane and get to know each other a little bit better."

Bay, who had frozen with repulsion once he'd tightened his hold on her, now almost puked at what he was suggesting. Maneuvering a hand up in between them, she shoved him off her. " First of all, get your hands off me," she snarled, straightening her jacket and pony-tail. " Second of all, what kinda girl do you take me for? And third: in your dreams, pally!"

" Wh-what?" Parker nearly gasped, staring at her in complete shock.

" Just what I said," Bay declared with a firm nod, hands on her hips. " I'm declinin' your offer."

" You're saying you don't wanna go out on a date with me tonight?"

" Buddy, I'm sayin' I wouldn't wanna go out with you if the fate of the world depended on it and we were the last two humans alive. Parker, I don't like you. I don't like ya, and I want nothin' to do with ya. I don't like your ego; I don't like your self-entitlement; I don't like your sportsmanship; and I don't like your conduct. I would not touch you with a forty foot pole if I were given the choice."

" So you're saying no to me?"

" Yes! That's exactly what I'm sayin' to ya! No! One big, fat, neon-bright '_**no**_'!"

" But… but nobody ever says 'no' to me!"

Bay shrugged. " First time for everythin'." With that simple remark, the junior gathered up her trash, stood up from the table, and marched away. She threw her trash in a garbage can. " Askin' me out to lover's lane," she snorted with annoyance. " What a jerkoff!"

* * *

" Okay…" Bay puffed as she jogged down the sidewalk, "... it's official. McPhearson is... insane! Ugh!" It was now eighth period—the last period of the day—and unfortunately for Bay and the rest of her junior class, that meant P.E. with Coach McPherson.

McPherson was a big and robust man with a ruddy complexion and a voice worthy of that of a drill sergeant's. Fitting, since that was what he had been when he was in the army. Then he'd had to retire and had become the school's gym teacher, football coach, basketball coach, and baseball coach. Still, unfortunately for his students, McPherson was a drill sergeant at heart and demeanor, and that meant a lot of running and discipline and up-in-your-face yelling.

Bay believed in the discipline. She could handle the yelling (she was all but used to it by now with her mother). But when it came to the running… there was only so much the sixteen-year-old could take. It wasn't that she wasn't in shape—out of her class she was in the top five for physical fitness—but she just wasn't in as good of shape as she had been when she was using her powers (you would be surprised just how physically fit manipulating the elements made you). So these timed 5K runs that McPherson made them do were beasts.

Suddenly the 'Physical Fitness Nazi' (as many of the kids at the school—including Bay—called him) came barreling around the corner of the block. The man was standing up in a car that was being driven by Mr. Willis, his assistant coach, his top half sticking out the sunroof of the car. McPherson had his ever infamous bullhorn held tight in his hand and lifted to his mouth. " Come on, ya yellow maggots!" he belted out into the bullhorn. " Afraid of a little fatigue?! My great-granny can run faster than you and she died over forty years ago!"

" _Then I certainly hope she ain't up and runnin' around,_" Bay thought to herself, " _'cuz if she was, that'd be just plain freaky!_" Pushing past the weariness in her muscles and the stitch in her side, the junior tried picking up the pace. There were only a handful of people in front of her, and they were quickly losing ground. Bay jogged past them. She was almost back to the soccer field where they'd began the run—it was almost over! Forcing herself to pick up the pace, Bay kept surging towards the finish line. Finally, after an eternity, she reached the endpoint. Almost instantly, as if they knew the entire ordeal was over, the teen's weary legs went out from under her, and she practically collapsed to the ground.

Panting heavily, Bay stretched out on her front in the prickly green grass. The earth beneath it warm and the very smell of the soil invigorated the young girl. She instinctively dug her fingers through the grass and into the dirt, feeling that wonderful, electrical jolt of revitalizing energy that she felt when ever she came into contact with the elements. Each element had a different feel to the jolt. Water was cool, refreshing, smooth; fire was hot, spicy, and electrifying; earth was strong, sturdy, and almost nurturing; and air—fresh air—could be either hot, cold, or anywhere in between, was free, and tingled. But every single one rejuvenated her. Every single one filled her with its power and made her stronger, faster, sometimes even wiser. She loved it. That energy was the thing she missed most about being able to bend. Groaning, Bay pushed herself up into a sitting position.

The rest of her gym class began to stumble in. Like Bay, they all collapsed to the ground, heaving and wheezing as they tried to catch their breaths. Unfortunately for them, they weren't able to be re-energized by the soil beneath them, like their classmate could.

Suddenly, Bay felt herself cast in shadow. Holding up a hand against the glaring sunlight of the mid-afternoon, the sixteen-year-old squinted to see McPherson standing above her. He held out his hand to her and made a 'gimme' motion with it. Without even thinking, Bay reached down and unhooked the small timer from the waist line of her shorts (all the kids wore one) and handed it to him.

McPherson studied the monitor for a moment, then an impressed look on his face crossed his face. " Not bad, Calecto," he told her with a nod of his head. " Not bad at all." And with that he cleared the timer, turned, and left.

* * *

Bay was still struggling to adjust her backpack as she sprinted down the hallway from the locker room towards the front doors. She was going to be late for the bus! And it was all thanks to Christina and the popular girls had thought it would be funny to sneak into the girl's locker room while she was out on the 5k run and grab her clothes, bags, and all her books, and take them out back and throw them into the school dumpsters. Fortunately for Bay, that wasn't the first time they'd done that, so she knew right where to go. _**Unfortunately**_ for her, they'd apparently decided to mix it up and throw every single one of her belongings into all different dumpsters and she'd had to go dumpster diving through all six in order to retrieve everything. She'd also almost gotten dumped into a trash bot during the process, so that hadn't helped either. All things summed up, that was why she was now rushing down the hall, still in her gym clothes, unshowered, and lugging along both her book bag and gym bag with her regular clothes either stuffed into a side pocket of her gym bag or clutched in her already full hands.

Finally Bay reached the front doors of the school and all but flung herself at them, forcing them open, and began to hurry down the steps towards the bus line-up that was already pulling away. " Hey, wait!" she called out. " Wait up!" Her bus didn't stop. " Hey! Hey!" The bus was already gone by the time she got to the curb. Groaning in frustration, the sixteen-year-old threw her head back, dropped her stuff to the ground, and kicked at the cement. " Oh, come on!" she bellowed, tangling her fists in her hair as though she wanted to pull it all out. " Are you friggin' kiddin' me?!" She looked off in the direction the bus had gone, an expression that was a mixture of irritation and forlornness shadowing her face. " This is why I need a car!" she fumed. " Or at least a new cell phone!" A little over a week ago her phone had been dunked in and flushed down the toilet by none other than the same girls that had made her miss the bus by throwing all of her crap into the dumpster. Growling, Bay spun and kicked at her gym bag, not caring what was in it (there wasn't anything breakable in there anyway), and cursed. " *%#!"

" Language, Ms. Calecto!"

Bay spun around and looked up at the top of the steps to see the principal standing there, arms crossed over his chest, and a not-too-impressed look on his face.

Bay sheepishly smiled. " Sorry, Mr. Wilcox," she apologized. Then she looked back off in the direction the bus went. Well, looked like she'd be hoofin' it home.

* * *

" I think I'm lost," Bay muttered to herself as she wandered down the Detroit streets. She tried to adjust her bags to a more comfortable position. The teen had been walking along for about an hour now, and she wasn't any closer to home than when she'd set out from the school. Things sure were different in this city when you weren't riding a bus. Not to mention the fact that every time she rode the bus she didn't exactly pay attention to where they were going, just kept track of the stops. She sighed heavily in defeat. " Maybe I oughta just go to Sumdac Tower and meet up with Dad and ride home with him," she came to the decision. " I'm kinda curious about what Sumdac Tower's like anyway." Maneuvering out of the main flow of sidewalk-traffic, Bay set down her gym bag, slipped off her backpack, and stretched, bringing relief to her muscles and spine. As she stretched out she looked around and tried to decide which direction to go in. She knew what Sumdac Tower looked like on the outside—you couldn't miss it if you tried with as tall as it was. The problem was was that she was surrounded by tall buildings, and, from her position on the ground, they hid Sumdac Tower quite nicely. She didn't know which way to go.

For a few moments, Bay stood there, trying to figure out what to do before finally deciding that her best option was to ask someone, despite how much she hated asking for directions. With decision made, the teenager stepped back out into the crowd and fell into step beside a man carrying a brief case and wearing a business suit and a blue-tooth in his ear. " Hi," she greeted him, showing off her best friendly smile. " Look, I hate to bother ya, but I'm kinda lost, and I was just wonderin' if you could point me in the direction of Sumdac Tower?"

The man didn't even seem to notice her and kept walking.

Slightly frowning, Bay tried again. " It won't take but a minute of your time."

Nothing.

" If you could just help out a girl here, sir."

Not even the bat of an eye.

" Sir?"

The man kept on walking.

It was then that Bay snarled. " Oh, all right, I see how it is," she snapped. " You're in too much a hurry to talk to me. You're too big and important to even give me the time of day!" She stopped walking and watched him walk on in annoyance. " God forbid anybody ever take up the big business man's precious time! Yeah, you just go right on walkin' away from me, buddy. Just go on ignorin' me. It's not like we're livin' in a society or anythin'!" The sixteen-year-old then looked around to see all of the other people on the sidewalk were staring at her oddly. Her complexion darkened as she blushed. " I ain't crazy!" she proclaimed angrily. Then she spun around on a heel and marched back to her bags and slipped them back on. " Forget it. I'll find Sumdac Tower myself."

A half hour later, and Bay was still lost. With a groan, Bay threw her bags down and flopped down on the curb, defeated. " I give up," she mumbled, holding her head in her hands. She was tempted to wonder if this day could possibly get any worse, but she didn't want to jinx it, so she kept quiet about it. The teen was just starting to think over what to do next when suddenly she heard a frightened cry. Perking up, the junior leaped to her feet and trotted off in the direction the cry had come from. As she came closer to the corner of the block, she pressed herself up against the brick building and peeked out to see what was going on.

There, across the street was a bakery. Standing huddled together in front of the bakery was a family: a husband and wife with three children between the ages of two an and six. Also in front of the bakery were four rough and tough looking thugs, and it was obvious that they were shaking the family down for money.

" Please," the man who owned the bakery pleaded helpless, " we can get the money to you next week. I promise!"

" We don't take late fees," the guy who must have been the head of this band of thugs stated. " You guys pay us the money in cold hard cash now, or else."

Bay growled low in her throat. For as long as she could remember she hated bullies, and now that she was the one getting bullied and couldn't defend herself against it, it was worse. However, even she couldn't defend herself against her bullies, she could defend these poor people against theirs.

" But we just don't have the money right now," the wife of the man tried to appeal again.

" Well, then..." the leader thug said as he rubbed his chin as if in thought. He sneered and snapped his fingers.

One of the big guys on his right stepped forward, seized that hand of the little girl who must have been about four, and yanked her away from her parents.

" Abby!" both the man and woman cried. They tried to reach out and grab her back, but the two other thugs stepped in front of them and blocked them.

" Mommy! Daddy!" Abby screamed, tears already streaming down her cheeks, fear in her brown eyes.

"... things are about to get awful ugly around here," the leader thug finished saying.

Bay had had enough. Stepping out from around the corner, Bay walked out into the street and stood there, as tall, erect, and intimidating as she could make her stature. " Let the girl go, hoodlum," she commanded.

Everybody—the family and the thugs—froze at the snarl. Then they all turned to see a teenage girl standing there. Her hands were on her fists and a dark scowl was on her face.

The thugs looked Bay up and down, taking in her height (she was only about 5'7'' quite a bit shorter than any of them), her gym clothes, and basically her over-all appearance. Then they began to crack up. This girl was telling them what to do?! Was she actually serious?! That was almost too hilarious to believe!  
Their laughter setting her off even more, Bay growled. " I said. Put. The girl. Down," she rumbled again menacingly and slowly.

The leader thug finally got enough control of himself to reply. " Look..." he snickered, wiping tears from his eyes he'd been laughing so hard, "... look, athletic shorts, since you're obviously new to this part of town, I'm gonna be nice and warn ya. You're in Black Spades territory; so, unless you're lookin' to not make your high school graduation, you better step off."

" The only ones who need to step off here are you four lunkheads," Bay retorted. " And, for your sake, I hope ya chose to sooner than later."

Leader thug's eyebrow twitched and his temper flared a little bit. Nobody talked back to him! Especially not some teeny-bopper! " Just who do you think you are, girly?" he snapped.

At that, Bay's scowl turned into a slight smirk. " Your worst nightmare," she responded, punching her right hand into her left palm and cracking her knuckles.

Leader thug made a chuckle that sounded somewhat nervous. " What, you Batman or somethin'?"

Bay's smirk grew ever more devilish as she cracked the knuckles of her left fist. " Why don't you come find out?"

Leader thug's eyebrow twitched again. Then he turned towards the family and motioned one of the big guys who were watching them to go at her. His buddy nodded, pulled out a large knife and ran forward with a battle cry. " Hhaaaahhhh!"

Bay sidled out of the way, brought her hand down in a karate chop at his wrist so that he'd release the knife, grabbed his outstretched arm, spun around, and threw him onto a car without so much as a grunt of effort. She threw him with such force that she caused him to dent the hood and shatter the windshield. Then she turned back to the others. " Next?"

The three remaining thugs stared in wide-eyed disbelief at their dazed buddy laying on the hood of the car. Finally, the other guy that was guarding the family shook off his surprise and came towards her. He had been holding a metal baseball bat in his hand, and now he swung it up and wound up as though he was getting ready to hit one out of the park. " Rrraaahhh!"

Bay sprinted a few steps forward, dropped into down to the ground, and performed a baseball slide, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of the hot rough pavement on her bare legs. The girl slid right into his legs, thus knocking his feet out from under him and causing him to face-plant into the pavement with a sickening _**crack! **_Bay quickly rose to her feet again. She quickly examined the thug and determined him to be unconscious before turning back to his cohorts.

Leader thug backed away a few steps, fear in his eyes. He turned to his last henchman and frantically exclaimed, " Well? Don't just stand there! Take her!"

The guy looked from his boss down to the four-year-old he still held captive. " What about the girl?" he asked, not all the excited to take on the crazy girl who'd just kicked the butts of his two other buddies.

" Forget her and worry about _**this**_ one!" his boss bellowed.

Looking both defeated and afraid, the thug threw the little girl back in the direction of her family (her father caught her) and went charging at Bay, weaponless. " Haah!"

Bay raised a foot up and slammed back down, slightly angled off to the side. A wall of earth shot up through the pavement right under the thug as a result. A surge of pure joy rippled through Bay as she bent the earth again after an eternity of being forbidden. She could feel some of her old self returning.

" Whhooaa!" The wall of earth vaulted the thug high up into the air. When he fell back to the ground he landed on an awning, bounced off it and smacked against the sign of the bakery, and then landed in a dumpster.

The little boy of the family, whom was the oldest of the children at six years, stared wide-eyed at Bay. Then a beaming grin crossed his face and he looked up at his parents. " Cool, Mommy!" he chirped excitedly.

His parents were just as amazed if not quite so enthused.

" Did she just..." the man began.

" I think so," his wife cut him off. " But... that's impossible!"

Bay watched as the thug landed and then she turned back to the leader of the group. She stalked towards him, arms outstretched at the sides as if to tell him to come at her. " What'r'ya gonna do now?" she taunted him. " You're all outta lackeys, pal."

The thug backed away, panting with fear. This girl was half his size and she just taken out three of his biggest and best guys singlehandedly! Not to mention the fact that she just controlled the ground! Quickly his eyes darted around, looking for something to use as a weapon. Finally he darted over to his jacked-up pickup, lunged into the back, and came back out carrying a big, heavy metal jack-handle. An evil sneer parted his lips. " Thought you had me for sure, didn't'cha, babe?" he called out to Bay.

The girl remained silent and unfazed.

" Well, now I got you. Hrrraaahhh!" Leader thug rushed forward, the bar held high over his head. Once he was close enough, he swung it down, intending to crush in Bay's skull, but she was far too quick for him.

Bay gracefully leaped out of the way, causing the man to slam the bar down into the pavement, then she grabbed him by the back of his shirt-collar and the belt-loop at the back of his saggy jeans. With a firm grip on him, the sixteen-year-old hoisted him up, spun, and, with all her strength, threw him across the street through a window of a building that was adjacent to the bakery. With a complacent smirk, Bay strode towards the building. Putting her hands on her hips again, the girl looked through the broken window down at the beaten thug and released a light chuckle. " Believe I'm your worst nightmare now, chumps?" The sudden sound of a revving engine drew her attention, and the teen spun around to see the other three thugs recovered and hopping in the truck.

They peeled out from the curb, pulled a U-ey and came in her direction. " Come on, man!" they bellowed at their leader. They stopped just long enough in order for him to jump into the truck through the open passenger door, and then they floored it and started to speed away.

Bay looked after them and snarled. After what these guys had done, they were not about to get away that easily—she was going to make sure of it. " You're not gettin' away!" the teen declared. She reached out towards the fire hydrant on the corner, built up enough pressure in the water inside it to blow the hydrant off, and sent a large wave of the liquid surging after the thugs. In the blink of an eye, their pickup was frozen in a solid block of ice.

The husband and wife were absolutely gobstopped.

Their son and daughter looked just as amazed as they had before. " That was totally wicked!" the little boy cheered.

" Yeah!" the little girl agreed.

Chuckling, Bay marched down the street towards the frozen truck. Once she reached it, she patted the side of the ice-block and smirked towards the leader thug, whom she knew could still see and hear her. " And in the words of Vanilla Ice," she teased, " 'Ice, ice, baby'." She laughed.

All at once their came the wail of police sirens.

Bay turned and looked up to see a squad of police drones soaring overhead and more were rolling in from down the street. A few minutes later, the actual police were showing up. Grinning, the sixteen-year-old unfroze the truck enough so that the police would be able to get the thugs out and stepped back, her arms held in a presenting position towards the frozen truck. " I caught the bad guys for ya, officers," she proudly stated.

The police swarmed around the vehicle, handcuffs ready.

" Take 'em into custody," the Sergeant ordered. Then he turned to Bay, and, with a hard look on his face, pointed at her. " You're under arrest too," he stated.

Bay gasped and did a double take. What?! _**She**_ was getting arrested?! For what?! " What do ya mean _**I'm**_ under arrest?" the sixteen-year-old demanded. The teen pointed to the thugs whom were now all handcuffed and being put into the back of cop cars. " _**Those**_ are your bad guys right there, Officer. They were terrorizin' a family and smashin' up a shop."

The Sergeant turned and did an assessment. The street was broken up in more than one place; a large window to a shop had been broken; a car had been wrecked; and a fire hydrant had been blown up and water was running all over the place. " From the looks of it," he commented, making a sweeping motion with his hand across the whole scene, " it looks like you smashed up a lot more than that, sweetheart." He turned back to her, handcuffs ready and moving towards her.

Bay slowly backed away, but she was soon grabbed by two other police men. " Wait!" she cried, struggling against their grips. " Wait, you can't do this! You can't arrest me! Just... just let me explain."

" Save it for Fanzone, kid," the Sergeant replied, coming ever closer with those dreaded metal cuffs.

Bay continued to try and struggle away, frantically thinking about what to do. She couldn't go to jail. She just couldn't! Desperate to get free, Bay did the only thing she could think of doing: she used her powers. Taking a deep breath of air, the teenager forcefully exhaled it back out in a "lung-punch". The current hit the Sergeant and jetted him backwards. With him out of the way, Bay slammed a foot down atop one of her captor's feet, causing him to yelp in pain and release her to grab at his sore toes, and then she kicked the other guy in the shin, eliciting the same reaction from him. Free, she darted away, was nearly intercepted by a couple more officers before she quickly bashed their heads together, slide over the hood of a police car, ran to the corner to grab her bags, used the water from the hydrant to form an icy trail, and began to skate away.

The Sergeant stared after her in both awe and frustration. They'd never be able to catch her that way. Pulling a walkie-talkie type device out of his belt, he spoke into it, " Drones, after the girl. Stop her, but do not harm her."

The drones flew off after the sixteen-year-old.

* * *

Bay had already covered about half-a-dozen blocks (it was easier to travel farther when you were skating instead of running) and kept right no going. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She figured she was Scott-free, being so far ahead of the police. But she didn't account for the drones until something sharp and stinging blasted her in the buttock. " Yah!" As Bay yelped she lost her concentration on her bending. The ice quit forming in front of her and she hit rough pavement, went flying, hit the street, and skidded across it and into the center of a busy intersection. " Uh-ahh!"

Around her cars swerved and skidded to a stop. It was truly a miracle that she didn't get hit and nobody had a bad wreck, though there were a few small fender benders. The people in the cars blared their horns and shouted at her. " Hey! Watch where you're goin', ya stupid kid!" " Get outta the road!" " Move it!"

Bay hardly even heard them, she was too busy dealing with her discomfort. " Hello, road-rash," she rasped with a grimace. Groaning, the girl moved to get up, cracking her back, shoulders, neck, and hips as she did. " Ooh!" Inhaling deeply, she let it out slowly letting the pain (or some of it anyway) ebb away. Then she turned her eyes to the sky. " Crap," she muttered once she spied the drones flying overhead. Adrenaline hitting her systems again, Bay reached out towards the ice, liquified it, pulled it to her, and was forming an icy trail again as she skated off. Now mindful of the drones, she tried to counter their attacks. Each time they fired at her, she dodged, spun around and punched out either fireballs or strong blasts of air, but no matter how many she took out, there always seemed to be more. It was like they just appeared out of nowhere!

After being chased through the streets, Bay was forced up onto an overpass. Panting heavily, the girl pulled up at the side of the road, and leaned against the barrier for a breather. Sweat trickled down her forehead and stung her eyes. These little robots just didn't know when to give up! Unfortunately for the police, neither did she. Suddenly Bay looked up and she did a double take. There... there was Sumdac Tower! Finally, after all that time looking for it, there it was! The sixteen-year-old gaped at the building for a moment, then her attention was drawn by the all-too-familiar sound of the drones. She glanced back over her shoulder to see them coming closer. A growl left her throat. Well, there was Sumdac Tower, but how was she supposed to get there and be rid herself? That's when she heard the sound of sloshing down below. Cocking an eyebrow, the teenager looked down and was met with the view of a canal. " Perfect," she whispered. She looked back towards the drones—they were getting closer. Turning towards the river, Bay adjusted her bags and backed up a ways before running forward and swan-diving off the side of the overpass. Using her power, she summoned the water up into a slanting pillar so that she wouldn't have so far to fall, but she never hit the water. Without warning, she was caught in cables; strong cables that wrapped around her legs and arms and torso pulled her up out of the dive, and, worst of all, aggravated her road burns. " Hey!" Bay shrieked, struggling and fighting with all her might to get away. " Let me go! I said let me go!" The junior continued to try and fight her way out of the web that was holding her, but it was no use. She couldn't break her bonds. Sighing in defeat, Bay slumped into the cables, allowing the drones to take her wherever they pleased.

* * *

" Destruction of public and private property, assaulting law-enforcement officers, evading arrest," the large police officer in the pants and suspenders with the blonde comb-over snapped the file closed and slammed it down on the metal table in front of her, causing the girl to wince. " You're in a heap of trouble, little missy."

Bay looked up at the man anxiously, desperate to make him understand that she wasn't the bad guy here. " But, Captain Fanzone, you don't understand!" she declared.

" Oh, really?" Fanzone replied, not sounding convinced. He retreated to the over side of the table, pulled out the chair there, and seated himself. Leaning back in it, he crossed his arms over his big stomach. " Then, by all means, enlighten me."

Bay closed her eyes and sighed before leaning forward and meeting the Captain's gaze. " Look," she tried to level with him, " it's like I told your officers. Those four jerks were shakin' down a family. I hate bullies, so I decided to teach these guys a lesson."

" A nice sentiment, I'll give ya that," Fanzone conceded with a single nod. " But that still don't mean that you shoulda done what you did."

" Well, what I supposed to do?"

" Call the police and stay out of the way."

" But innocent people were in danger!" Bay pointed out defiantly. " It's in my nature to help people like them! Besides, isn't there such a thing as being a good Samaritan anymore?"

" Being a good Samaritan is one thing," Fanzone pointed out as he leaned forward and pounded the table top with an index finger, " but what you did went far beyond 'good Samaritan' and pushed the 'vigilante' border. Tell me, kid, where do you think we'd be if we just allowed people to walk around and deal out their own form of justice? This country would erupt into utter chaos!"

Bay shut her mouth and sat back in her chair again, utterly disgusted.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and a police officer walked in and over to Fanzone. " Captain," he said, " the girl's father is here."

Bay groaned and slumped down in the chair. " Crud..."

Fanzone looked back at her, then made a motion with his hand. " Get her outta here then."

The officer walked around the table to Bay and took her out of the cuffs that were holding her to the table. " Come on, sweetheart," he said. " Let's get you outta here."

Bay rubbed her wrists and stood as she began to follow the officer out of the room. She stopped as Fanzone suddenly grabbed her arm and she looked down into his hard gaze with a hard one of her own.

" You better watch it from now on, kid," he warned her.

Bay glowered at him and yanked her arm out of his grip. " So had you, _**Captain Fanzone**_," she threatened right back. With that she stormed away. She was just about to exit the room when she heard a sharp whistle and turned back around to face Fanzone, whom was now standing.

Still looking at her with a harsh gaze, Fanzone pointed two fingers to his eyes, then swiveled his wrist around so that the fingers were pointing at her. 'I'm-watching-you'.

Bay's face twisted in a nasty scowl and she made the motion right back at him. Then she impishly stuck her tongue out at the officer and blew and raspberry in his direction before turning and hastening out of the room and down the hall after the police officer.

Fanzone's fists clenched at his sides and the vein in his head stuck out as he rumbled off a deep growl. " This is why I _**hate**_ kids."

Bay meekly made her way down the steps of the police station towards the curb where her father was parked. She looked down at the ground and kept sneaking glances up at him. He was leaning against the car, arms folded over his chest and a not-too-thrilled expression on his face. The girl finally came to a stop in front of him. She remained silent and kept her eyes averted to the ground.

" Do I even want to know?" Michael questioned his daughter. His tone wasn't harsh but calm and smooth, however, it had even more of an effect on Bay's guilt than even if he'd been yelling at her. You really knew that Michael Calecto was mad if he didn't yell.

Closing her eyes, Bay slowly shook her head in answer.

Her father just sighed. Then he turned away and began to walk around the car to the driver's side. " Come on, let's go home."

Bay hesitantly moved towards the car. Opening the passenger door, she slowly got into the seat, slammed the door shut, and crossed her arms over her chest. The girl turned so that her back was to her father.

After about an hour, they pulled up into the driveway of their home and Michael parked and shut off the car. Then the two sat in silence, neither of them moving. After a long moment, Michael turned to look at his daughter. " Bay..." he began.

" Save your breath, Dad," Bay cut him off, knowing what he was about to say. He'd only asked her the question a million times.

The man attempted a soft chuckle. " I can't save my breath, punk," he commented softly. " I'm worried about you."

" Don't worry 'bout me then."

" I can't do that either, honey; you're my daughter."

Bay closed her eyes and bit her lip in order to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes from flowing. She remained silent.

Silence crept in again before Michael broke it once more. " Bay, please, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

At that, the girl suddenly exploded. Whipping around in her seat to face her father, she stared at him with her jade eyes red and glistening with tears. Those same tears were already streaking her face. " What's wrong?" she rasped. " Ya know what's wrong? My life—that's what's wrong! It's right in front of your eyes, Dad, can you not see that?! Haven't you ever noticed how Marshall brings friends home, but I don't? How he talks about all the stuff he and his friends do, but I don't? Newsflash, Dad: it's because I have no friends here! I'm a _**freak**_ here, Dad! And what's worse, I can't even use my powers here without getting in trouble by Mom or the school administration or even the frickin' police for it! I've used my powers twice since we moved here, Dad. _**Twice**_! My powers are a part of who I am; they're what helps make me _**me**_. It's gotten to the point that whenever I look into a mirror... I can't even tell it's me anymore!"

" Bay..."

" I know ya think I'm bein' over-dramatic about this, Dad, but I'm not." Bay slumped down in the seat and stared at the dashboard as the tears continued to cascade down her face.

More quiet.

" Bay..." Michael finally spoke again, "... is there... anyway I can help?"

Without even looking at him, Bay posed the question, " Can ya make me normal? Can ya make me popular and everything that Mom was in high school that she wants me to be to?"

Michael opened his mouth to reply, but when no comment came to his mind, he just sighed and looked down at the steering wheel.

" That's what I figured," Bay remarked drily before opening the door, stepping out of the car, grabbing her bags, and heading to the house. As she stomped up the steps into the house, the door opened and her mother appeared on the porch.

" Michael," Amanda called to her husband who was getting out of the car, " Marshall invited Zack over to stay the night. I told him that'd be fine." Then the woman turned her attention to her fuming daughter. Because Bay had her head lowered, her mother couldn't tell that she was crying, but she was still a bit shocked at the fact that, with each step, the teenager was slamming her feet down onto the wooden steps of the porch as if she meant to splinter them. Not to mention that fact that she was had come home in the evening with her father rather than in the afternoon on the bus. Putting her hands on her hips, Amanda raised an eyebrow. " Why are you home so late?" Then she noticed her daughter's road rash. " And why are you hurt?!"

" Don't ask," Bay replied frostily and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. She made her way to the stairs, shoving her brother and his buddy out of her way as they came streaking down the stairs to the living room to watch some sort of stupid TV show. " Outta my way, twerps," she snarled. A few moments later there was the sound of a slamming door.

Amanda watched after her, hands still perched on her hips. She turned at the sound of footsteps and gave her husband a quizzical look. " What's with Bay?"

" Don't ask," the man repeated his daughter with a grumble. He too disappeared into the house.

* * *

Later that evening, Bay sat in her bathrobe on the edge of the bathtub, using her powers for the second time that day. With careful, skilled movement, the sixteen-year-old bent an amount of water around the painful burns on her legs sides and arms. She quietly sighed as the pain went away and the evidence of the sores disappeared. When she was finished, she quietly bent the water back into the tub and let it go down the drain. Then she stood and began to make her way out the room. As she past the mirror, she looked up into it. Once again she saw her reflection, but she didn't recognize it. She didn't know who this girl was, but she knew that she didn't like them and she wanted to go back to being herself. The only problem was... she just didn't know how. It felt like the whole entire world had some sort of personal, sadistic vendetta against her. For the thousandth time, the same question that had haunted the young girl's mind crossed her thoughts again: " _Who am I?_"


End file.
